HOUSTON – J.J. Redick felt what no one else could have midway through the second quarter Saturday night. The Clippers’ were down by 10, and the Rockets kept taking the H.O.V. lane to the rim, scoring easy buckets.

“I felt like we were close. Even when we were down (13 points) in the second quarter, I could feel it turning. I could,” he said. “I'm not saying I'm prophetic or anything …”

What Redick saw materialized in the second half, as the Clippers locked in defensively and steamrolled Houston, 107-94, at Toyota Center.

It’s the second time the Clippers defeated the Rockets this week, this time with an 18-0 run that turned a double-digit deficit in the third quarter into a fourth-quarter lead.

The Clippers trailed by double figures early in the third quarter, and it seemed like they'd be heading home on a three-game losing streak.

“I kept telling them to hang in there. We started out so well, and then it went bad. And we went bad,” Doc Rivers said. “We were all pouting. Our body language was awful. And I just kept telling them to hang around.”

Rivers said the Clippers began pressuring the ball better, guarding the pick-and-roll more effectively and communicating more frequently, and that sparked an 18-0 run that lasted nearly seven minutes.

“We caught ourselves,” Rivers said. “We got back into the game, and we played.”

The Clippers ended up outscoring Houston, 61-39, in the second half, despite foul trouble to their two biggest stars.

Both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were whistled for their fourth fouls in the third quarter, however Rivers stuck with both players, needing to get back into the game (neither player fouled out).

Griffin and Redick each scored 22 points, Paul had his seventh consecutive double-double (14 points and 13 assists) and DeAndre Jordan pulled down 18 rebounds in the victory.

Dwight Howard had 21 points and eight rebound in the loss. James Harden scored only 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

But it was the seeds that were planted early that grew into a victory, as the Clippers decided it was time to commit on the defensive end.

“We finally said enough is enough and came out with a win,” Paul said.

JORDAN REMEMBERS FRIEND

Jordan had plenty of friends and family in the crowd Saturday night when the Clippers played his hometown Rockets, but he was thinking most about the one person who wouldn’t be there.

Tobi Oyedeji was following in Jordan’s path – starring on the court in Bellaire, Texas, just like Jordan did. He was committed to play basketball at Texas A&M, where Jordan played.

But on May 16, 2010, Oyedeji died in a car accident, driving home after a post-prom party at Dave & Busters.

The last time Jordan saw his friend is still etched on his mind.

“He ran up to me and gave me this big hug like he hadn’t seen me in years,” Jordan said before Saturday’s game. “He was like, ‘I can’t wait to come to the game. You’re my role model.’ It was a tough situation.”

Jordan has never forgotten his friend, honoring him with a simple message before every game.

Jordan wears a bracelet with Oyedeji’s name and tweets “#35 @TobiOye…” before every game as a measure of respect for his friend and as a reminder of life’s fragility.

“It’s me saying that is saying you don’t know what’s going to happen in your future,” he said. “You need to take advantage of what’s happening now.”

Saturday, Jordan’s doing just that. Jordan hosted 35 children from the Houston area at the Clippers-Rockets game in Oyedeji’s honor.

“His number was 35 so I have 35 inner-city kids who are excelling in athletics and academics coming to the game,” he said. “It’s a thing I want to do for a very long time.”

Jordan said his tributes on the court all happen for the same reason.

“It’s because of how much he loved the game,” he said. “… I definitely feel like I’m playing for him as well. … I just try to keep him alive in that way.”

NOTES

Redick continued to get the Clippers out to good starts offensively, scoring eight points in the first quarter Saturday. On the season, Redick has scored 64 of his 123 points this year in the opening quarter. … Jamal Crawford and Darren Collison scored 19 combined points in the fourth quarter. Collison scored eight of his 10 points late, and Crawford scored 11 of his 16 in the fourth. … Matt Barnes missed his third consecutive game because of a right thigh contusion. … Jared Dudley underwent an MRI on his right knee and was cleared to continue playing. Dudley has been dealing with tendinitis in the knee and has had his minutes limited.

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